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Our mandate

Our mandate

As weather, climate and the water cycle know no national boundaries, international cooperation at a global scale is essential for the development of meteorology, climatology and operational hydrology as well as to reap the benefits from their application. WMO provides the framework for such international cooperation.

Weather forecasts require observations of our environment around the clock and around the world. The bulk of those observations are carried out by National Meteorological Services as part of the WMO World Weather Watch, which networks the observing stations to national, regional and global weather and climate prediction centres 24 hours a day in real-time.

Scientists have been observing changes in the climate that cannot be attributed solely to natural influences. These changes are occurring rapidly, are significant, and will have consequences for this and future generations. Changes in climate variability and extremes driven by human-induced climate change are some of the key challenges facing humanity.

As the global population grows and the demand for water increases, it is critical to effectively and sustainably manage our limited water resources. To do so, we need to know where they are, in what quantity and quality, how variable they are, and how they will evolve in the foreseeable future.

Vision, Mission, Strategic Priorities

WMO provides world leadership and expertise in international cooperation in the delivery and use of high-quality, authoritative weather, climate, hydrological and related environmental services by its Members, for the improvement of the well-being of societies of all nations.